What Does Cack Handed Mean?

1 British : left-handed sense 1. 2 British : clumsy, awkward.

Where does the phrase cack-handed come from?

It almost certainly comes from the very ancient tradition, which has developed among peoples who were mainly right-handed, that one reserved the left hand for cleaning oneself after defecating and used the right hand for all other purposes. At various times this has been known in most cultures.

Is cack-handed offensive?

There are many colloquial terms used to refer to a left-handed person, e.g. "southpaw" (USA). Some are just slang or jargon words, while other references may be offensive or demeaning, either in context or in origin. ... British people frequently use "cack-handed" to mean "clumsy", though it also means "left-handed".